This scrumptious cake has a unique dark, golden brown colour, which hints at the rich combination of flavours the cake contains. The undeniable taste of golden syrup in every mouthful was always guaranteed to make this cake a winner. I love this cake just as it is with a cup of strong tea – but my absolute favourite way to eat it is with custard. One of my favourite puddings! You can mix this cake by hand but I prefer to use an electric handheld whisk. All the ingredients need to be beaten together until combined, this will take a couple of minutes but don't worry if you can still see a few lumps in there. Take care not to overmix. Put the butter, syrup and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the orange zest then microwave for 30 seconds, stir and microwave again until the butter starts to melt. No microwave? Simply melt in a pot, stirring, over low heat.

Plain flour - this is All Purpose flour (AP) without any leavening additives as it uses additional baking soda instead This is a fairly runny cake batter so don't be alarmed and definitely don't add extra flour to compensate! Trust me (and my Granny!). Spices - I use a mix of ground ginger, mixed spice (or all spice), ground cinnamon, nutmeg and salt Instead of a 2lb loaf tin, you can divide the mixture and make 2 x 1lb loaf cakes and share one as a gift, or eat one now, save the other the flavours to meld Melt the golden syrup, butter and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave for a few minutes to cool down slightly.

McVities Dark Chocolate Digestives

This recipe has been carefully measured in grams and US cups so you can enjoy it wherever you are in the world! Amy recommends: Love old school puddings and nostalgic cakes? Try my Butterscotch Tart, School Cake or Jam and Coconut Sponge. Sugar – I used white caster sugar but you can use light soft brown sugar (muscovado sugar) for a more complex taste This cake keeps incredibly well, in fact it becomes more delicious if you keep it for a couple of days wrapped in foil. It will stay moist for at least four days in an airtight container (barely lasts a day in our house). Milk adds richness to the cake. I always use whole milk in this recipe, but semi skimmed would also be fine.

Soft dark brown (muscavado) sugar gives the cake a lovely caramel flavour and golden colour. If you don’t have dark brown sugar, light brown can be used instead. So what about this Golden Syrup Cake then? Well, I know we used to buy the McVitie's version along with Jamaica Ginger Cake and we'd have a slice as a treat after tea. To avoid lumps in the cake batter, sift the flour, bicarb, and spices and patiently stir in a little bit at a time by hand or into a bowl of a stand mixerSift the flour over the bowl and stir together to create a smooth, slightly thin, batter. Make sure there are no hidden lumps of flour.

You will know the cake is baked when it is golden brown, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Orange zest and Angostura orange bitters add a wonderful scent to this cake. Strips of orange zest can also be used as decoration.Pour the batter into a greased and lined 2lb loaf tin or into an 8 inch square (or round) cake tin. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until the cake is golden and firm to the touch. Tent the cake with aluminium foil if it is colouring too much after 40 minutes.